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Angels
Angels are tall winged beings from heaven, who did not legally exist until June 15th 2017, when they were officially recognized by Night Vale authorities. They are all named ErikaEpisode 20, Poetry Week and have an unknown number of powers and abilities. Old Woman Josie had a very close relationship to the supposed angels. Origins and Hierarchy of the Heavens Angels are created from deceased beings' souls. Some of them are human souls, while others are animals, plants or outdated electronics. Very few people are chosen to become angels. Angels are collective beings, they all share memories and physical sensation, and experience everything simultaneously. Their minds are overwhelmed with enlightenment and pain. Angels have no bodies, only visual projections of winged humanoid forms, which are dreamed up by those who see and acknowledge them and may vary based on the viewer. All angels are equal. They do not have a centralized leadership, but instead have a lot of committees, many of which do not have any titles or objectives. When the need to make a decision emerges, so does a proper committeeEpisode 104 The Hierarchy of Angels. Secrecy The structure of the Heavens, as well as the secret hierarchy of angels are privileged and highly classified information, known only to City Council on need-to-know basis. In addition, before the official acknowledgement of angels by the Hall of Public Records in June 2017, citizens who acknowledged the existence of angels were mostly sent to re-education and brain reconditioning, or worseEpisode 105, What Happened at the Smithwick House. Also, you shouldn't have listened to any any angel you meet at the Ralphs or Desert Flower Bowling Alley and Arcade Fun Complex, they only tell lies and do not exist. Characteristics Physical Angels seem to be individual beings, but that is just how people imagine them. They are in fact collective beings, and their apparent form depends on the viewer. Old Woman Josie claims they are ten feet tall, radiant, and that one of them is blackEpisode 1 Pilot. Larry Leroy, out on the edge of town, agrees that they are tall, and adds that they "fly around and make loud trumpet noises and will not stop smiling all the time."Episode 32 Yellow Helicopters Kevin reports a sighting of "impossibly tall people with long heads and wings." When Erika materializes before him, he describes "a bright, black glowing" that glows "around the shape of someone neither man nor woman, tall, long, with great black wings, beating softly." He says the figure is holding a light bulb.Episode 38 Renovations One tall, beautiful angel was described as radiating dark light and operatic music. Angels' voices can sound like men's or women's voices, but angels cannot hear gender.Episode 32.5 The Debate performed at the Roulette The angel who was formerly Marcus Vanston continues to wear a hand-tailored suit coat, though otherwise totally nude. Personality Angels are easily bored and are also capable of anger, or at least Old Woman Josie thinks so, because when they leave for three weeks she worries that "maybe she just made them mad, or bored." They also do not understand the concept of currency, and will often ask to borrow 10 bucks. Erika seems sensitive about the spelling of their name. It's "Erika," with a K. Somehow, they seem capable of hearing when people call them "Erica". Skills Angels are confirmed or suspected to have the following abilities: * gossiping * changing light bulbs * performing other household chores * writing poetry * granting "angelic protection" (from the influence of the Creeping Fear which came over Night Vale in Station Management, specifically) * identifying (Rita Hayworth, no matter the increase in her weight, age, or Hispanic heritage) * bowling * shopping, because they are apparently often at the Ralph's * using telephones, although it's not clear why they would need toEpisode 14 The Man in the Tan Jacket * the inability to hear gender Legal Existence For almost 5 years after their arrival to Night Vale, angels did not legally exist in town, and their legal and public battle for existence lasted yearsEpisode 106, Filings. Finally, on June 15th 2017, after a hearing held in the Hall of Public Records, the angels finally received their desired legal statusEpisode 110, Matryoshka. City Council has made it clear that anyone who acknowledges their existence will be properly punished, and sent to re-education and brain conditioningWhat Happened at the Smithwick House. Cecil though is saved from such punishment, thanks to his relations with Station Management and City Council's interest in them. Due to their legal statue, the angels could not inherit Old Woman Josie's property, what led them to protest against it around town. The angels have filed an official request in the Hall of Public Records, and a hearing was scheduled to sometime between the last Friday of April 2017 and the last Friday of 2023, and was held on June 15th 2017. Due to the dragon takeover of City Hall in May 15th 2017 and to the procrastination of their request, the angels launched a protest in which they held signs such as "Look as us!" or "We’re angels, and we’re totally real, and you’re making a huge mistake not acknowledging that. Trust us, we’re totally angels", but because their handwriting is so shaky, it was very difficult to understand the text. Most bystanders tried to read properly the message, without noticing the angels themselvesEpisode 108, Cal. Relationships The person with the best relationship with the angels in town was undoubtedly Old Woman Josie, whose house functioned as the angels' residence and who was the first (and for long time the only one) in town to publicly acknowledge their existence. The angels helped a lot to Josie, whether by changing her light bulb, attempting to force doctors to take care of herEpisode 97, Josefina, or protecting her from occasional evils. After Old Woman Josie passed away, the angels have an exhausting legal fight with her daughter Allandra about the inheritance. They have hired 5-headed dragon Miriam Adelman as their counsel. The angels often act as informers for Cecil, via their gossip with Josie. Josie has clearly gained the angels' favor, and has even opened her house to them. The angels are probably in cahoots with The Man in the Tan Jacket. The City Council denies their existence, and has Cecil remind his audience that no one should know about the Tiered Heavens or the Hierarchy of the Angels. The City Council also holds that "the structure of heaven and the angelic organizational chart are privileged information known only to the city council members on a need-to-know basis" and that angels "tell only lies." Angels seem to have an interest in concealing their own alleged existence. For example, shortly before retiring as mayor, Pamela Winchell once announced in a press conference that angels were real, only to be told, "Shut up, Pamela!" by the tall, beautiful figure radiating dark light and operatic music behind her.Episode 46 Parade Day Later, an allegedly angelic being resembling Marcus Vanston qualified a public statement about angels with the words "if we were real."Episode 52 The Retirement of Pamela Winchell Nonetheless, certain alleged facts about angels seem to be common knowledge in Night Vale. Everyone learns about angels in seventh-grade Transmigration Studies. "Religious texts" say that angels were, in fact, born in a barn.Episode 49 Old Oak Doors Part A StrexCorp recognized angels as "real and very dangerous" until it was purchased and presumably dismantled by the angels themselves, who used the fortune of the angel and former tycoon Marcus Vanston. People chosen by the angels The angels secretly pick people for "special angelic purposes." The chosen people will begin to cry at the mention of angels. Sometimes they ascend to Heaven. * Cecil Palmer: He cried during a phone call with an angel. "Tears were flowing down my face the instant I touched the phone receiver," he said afterward. Later, he was able to talk about angels and to them without any apparent weeping. * Larry Leroy: He cried at the mention of angels. * Intern Vithya: During a conversation with Old Woman Josie, Vithya told her that angels aren't real, then began crying. Later, when she ascended, witnesses said she was caught up in what looked like a strong wind, began to float, and then elongated and glowed with "a deep black, a dark pulsing aura." Her ascension was accompanied by "bold trumpets, and melancholy cellos, and even the haunting call of a muted French horn." Witnesses were deeply moved. * Marcus Vanston: During the mayoral debate, when someone claiming to be an angel named Erika called in, Marcus started crying. Shortly thereafter, Erika called in again and asked him, "If called upon by angels to serve a great good, to serve a great calling, to serve a great war, would you serve?" He proceeded to levitate out of his seat, "stretching to inhuman lengths," his eyes "glowing black," his fingers "spiraling long and diaphanous," growing gold feathers on his back, and finally disappearing. The Faceless Old Woman confirmed that Marcus "was now an angel." Trivia * In The Debate, the angels were voiced by visiting WorkJuice Players Hal Lublin and Annie Savage. * Besides Josie's house, angels also frequent the Ralphs and the Desert Flower Bowling Alley and Arcade Fun Complex. * The Angels have recently purchased StrexCorp, with the help of the new angel Marcus Vanston's funds. * Prior to being legally recognized as existing you could often find angels on the street, asking to borrow 10 bucks, not because they lack money but simply because they want to connect with people in such as way that they must be acknowledged. References Category:Characters Category:Voiced Characters Category:Night Vale sentient entities